Patrol Captain

"Brother Qiong, now that we're all alone, we can say some things face to face!"

Inside the Xuntian Hall, the officials dispersed, and Helian Shan interrupted the meeting because Qiong Silou suddenly appeared and acted as a peacemaker, hastily dealing with Gongsun Yang's "challenge" in court, leaving it anticlimactic.

Inside the hall, only Helian Shan and Qiong Silou remained, and the hall doors were tightly shut with a creaking sound.

Helian Shan knew the temple keeper had something else to say to him, so he waved the rest away.

Qiong Silou merely glanced at a beam on the upper left and said nothing.

The beam that would take several people to encircle was painted with white cloud patterns, and it didn't look particularly special.

Seeing this, Helian Shan on the opposite side glanced up, then lowered his eyes, a strange light flashing in them, and said:
"Leishan!"

As the sound faded, the white cloud patterns painted on the beam suddenly moved, and a cloud of mist flew out and landed behind Qiong and Helian.

The clouds condensed, revealing a thunder god's mouth and a strange figure with thunder wings on his back!
Helian Shan had two Thunder Gods by his side who could keep in touch with the court at any time. One of them went to the west and a few days ago was ordered to keep an eye on Huo Zhen, the general of Beiliang, with his holy soldiers. However, Huo Zhen escaped and a riot broke out on the western front. The Thunder God could only stay on the western front with his holy soldiers.

The current statue remains stationed at Yunding Mountain, ready to respond to any unforeseen circumstances.

When the King of Liang raised his army, it was this statue of the Thunder God that commanded the wind and thunder to report to the heavens and quickly relay the news to the court.

"My lord!" The Thunder God-like figure, with eyes gleaming with bronze lacquer, bowed to Helian Shan.

"You may leave now. I have important matters to discuss with Lord Qiong." Helian Shan said expressionlessly, waving away the emperor's messenger.

"Yes!" The Thunder God's eyes gleamed strangely, but he said nothing. With a crackling sound, his tall body suddenly transformed into a bolt of silver lightning, shooting out of the hall and disappearing at the gate.

Seeing him leave, Helian Shan turned his head and looked at the fourth floor of the Martial Temple, his tone full of meaning.
"It seems that what Lord Qiong wants to say is not convenient for His Majesty to hear."

Qiong Silou, with his hands behind his back, shook his head slightly and then began to recount what had just happened, his voice calm.
"The Imperial Preceptor has served three dynasties and is used to all kinds of storms. Even if the military situation is urgent, he should not have reprimanded the people of the Ninth Mountain. This will not solve any problems and will only make things worse."

Upon hearing this, Helian Shan frowned, somewhat displeased, and snorted.
"Hmph, does Lord Qiong really think I'm willing to disregard my reputation like this?"

"You seem unaware of what Chen Yuan has done?"

"Since the incident with the Celestial Being, in order to maintain the overall situation, I have treated him with great courtesy. I have even refrained from mobilizing the troops of the Ninth Mountain out of consideration for his reputation, despite the tense situation."

"But this man, who had previously agreed to something with me, went to Beiliang on his own and caused a huge mess. Now, Xiao Zhongtian has raised an army in rebellion and even entered the pass, but this man is completely indifferent. I have sent people to invite him three times, but he has always brushed me off."

"If it were you, Lord Qiong, what would you think? Even a clay figure has some temper; how can matters of state be treated like child's play?"

Helian Shan poured out all his pent-up frustrations to Qiong Silou, his anger still rising.

Upon hearing this, Qiong Silou's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he sighed, "There is a cause and effect to everything. What happened in the past strained General Chen's relationship with the court, causing him to lose trust in the court. The reason I was willing to make amends in the first place was to leave some room for maneuver in his relationship with the court."

"When dealing with General Chen, the Imperial Advisor should understand his character. If they become enemies, the consequences could be more severe than those of the rebel king. The only way to maintain a semblance of goodwill with the court is through his relationship with the mountain-crushing army."

At this point, the man took two steps around Helian Mountain, his expression thoughtful, his tone grave.

"Has the Imperial Advisor considered what consequences this news will bring to the Shu region?"

Helian Shan was in a bad mood because of what Qiong Silou said, and blurted out, "Lord Qiong, please speak freely!"

"The demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains and the Eight Demon Kingdoms will definitely take the opportunity to stir up trouble. Some restless fellows in Chengdu will be eager to make a move, fearing that the world is not chaotic enough. There are also old fellows whose lifespan is not long and who are powerless to break the void, who may also interfere and assist that rebel king in order to gain the opportunity to join the dragon, compete for the fortune, try to advance to a higher level, and vainly seek the opportunity to ascend."

"A series of chain reactions will occur, which is foreseeable. The Shu region will be in a critical situation of being besieged on all sides."

Qiong Silou directly laid out the consequences that Sichuan would face; this was not a possibility, but an inevitability.

With the world in chaos and the dynasty's fortunes on the verge of collapse, it is foreseeable that many old men with little lifespan left and who have long since retired from public life will emerge to vie for the world's fortunes, attempting to further damage the dynasty.

With the help of these people, the flames ignited by Liang King Xiao Zhongtian's uprising have become an unstoppable force, sweeping across all sectors of the court, and are already beginning to take shape.

This is a reality that the imperial court and they must face!
In this game, the Shu region is like a white piece surrounded by a black piece.

To the south lies the City of White Bones and the Ten Thousand Mountains; to the west, the Eight Demon Kingdoms; to the north, the Western Regions of Northern Liang; and to the east, the precarious Guanzhong Plain.

It's practically a dead end!
The air in the main hall became heavy and stagnant as these bloody realities were torn apart. The anger in Helian Shan's eyes gradually subsided. His eyes slowly lowered, his wrinkles deepened, and he silently walked to the side of the main seat, his back to Qiong Si Lou. He put one hand on the back of the chair, the veins on his hand bulging, looked up at the geomantic map of Shu hanging above, and finally sighed.

"I have failed Your Majesty's trust!"

"Complete inaction has led to the current state of Sichuan!"

Seeing Helian Shan's expression, Qiong Silou, standing behind him, straightened his posture and spoke:

"The Imperial Advisor has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Great Qian Dynasty. This matter is not Your Majesty's fault. Do not grieve. Leaving aside the world, if we want to save the Shu region now, the Imperial Advisor and our Emperor should also learn to let go."

The temple keeper of the Martial Temple made a surprising statement at the end, in a very calm tone.

Helian Shan's back stiffened, but he didn't turn around, so his expression was unclear. Only a few clear finger marks were visible on the back of the chair he was gripping.

"At this time, if I didn't know that you were the leader of the Martial Temple and closely connected with the destiny of the Great Qian Dynasty, I would have thought that you also had ulterior motives."

Helian Shan's voice rang out, a hint of coldness creeping into his tone, and the atmosphere in the hall cooled down.

"Imperial Preceptor, please let me finish speaking!" Qiong Silou remained calm and composed in the face of these words.

"When I asked the Grand Preceptor to relinquish control of Shu, it was not to abandon Shu or discard this region, but rather to hand it over to a suitable person!"

At this moment, Helian Shan turned around, his aged eyes piercing, and he guessed that Qiong Silou's words had a hidden meaning.
"The temple keeper's intention is to hand over the Shu region to Chen Yuan!"

Qiong Silou nodded, his tone resolute, "That's right!"

"Now, only this person has the ability to bring Shu back to life!" "From the court's perspective, this person is unruly and difficult to control, but it must be admitted that he is highly respected in Shu for his civil and military achievements. In his early years, he led his troops in battles across the country while ill, even when the situation was dire, and gradually inflicted heavy damage on the Shiwan Mountain. He has rich experience in leading troops, and all the troops in Shu are in awe of him. I think the Grand Preceptor also understands this deeply."

"If we entrust the Shu region to General Chen, with his abilities, he will surely be able to alleviate the crisis."

The temple keeper of the Martial Temple gave Chen Yuan high praise, even using the word "sure to succeed".

Helian Shan's expression shifted, showing anger, hesitation, and surprise. Finally, he took a deep breath to calm himself and asked in a deep voice, "..."
"Why does Lord Qiong trust this person so much?"

"Your Excellency should know that this man has a 'bad record,' and if the court were to hand over power to him..."

Helian Shan paused here, his voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. At this point, everything was clear to everyone.

Ultimately, they weren't of one mind.

"That's because Grand Preceptor Helian had a bad start with him and was wary of him. Has the Grand Preceptor considered that if General Chen really wanted to do this, Your Excellency would not be able to stop him even if the court wanted to? Why not just delegate power and perhaps do a favor?"

Qiong Silou's tone was full of hidden meaning.
"As for why I have come here to speak with Grand Preceptor Helian, it is simply because we are the only two people in the court who can speak for us. The court will need time to react and may be powerless to help Shu. In urgent situations, we must act expediently. At present, the hole in the sky is more important. Once Shu is truly thrown into chaos, I will certainly not be able to hold the hole in the sky. What falls from the sky will make the current situation uncontrollable."

"Between two evils, choose the lesser. Everything is for the greater good, so I must say these 'treasonous' words. We also need a strong figure to stabilize the situation in Shu as soon as possible!"

"His Majesty would never listen to such words, so I have no choice but to speak to the Imperial Advisor."

The unspoken implication of Qiong Silou's words was that Helian Shan was deeply trusted by His Majesty, and while he could not say such unpleasant things, Helian Shan could.

After all, Helian Shan had served three emperors, so his loyalty was beyond question, and Emperor Wu especially trusted this national advisor.

Helian Shan listened in silence. After hearing Qiong Silou's words, he understood that what the other party said was not an exaggeration.

If a decision is not made soon, and the news of the Northern Liang King's invasion of Guanzhong spreads widely and takes hold in Shu, no one knows what the consequences will be.

Every minute and every second feels urgent.

However, he was somewhat unwilling and apprehensive. He was entrusted with the imperial mission to guard the Shu region. Was he really going to leave in such a disgraceful manner? What would the world think of him? What would His Majesty think of him? Was there really no other way to deal with this?

However, as one thought swirled in his mind, the final result was always a negative one.

Seeing the hesitation on Helian Shan's face, Qiong Silou remained silent, waiting for the Grand Preceptor to make a decision.

He withdrew from the Heavenly Cave not to offer advice, but to make the most calm assessment of the current situation and clearly explain the advantages and disadvantages. He did not have much of a relationship with Chen Yuan, but now, he was speaking from an objective perspective.

Only Chen Yuan can keep the Shu region in check now!
Then, the hall fell silent.

Qiong Silou stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought. Helian Shan paced back and forth, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the footsteps stopped, Helian Shan stopped, stood still, turned to the side, his eyes fixed, all the emotions in them vanished.

He finally made his decision, and his tone became much softer.

"I will explain the advantages and disadvantages to His Majesty and entrust Chen Yuan with full authority over the Jiannan Circuit, allowing him to take sole control of the circuit and guard the southwest!"

"In this emergency, we have no other choice!"

"However, I still have some reservations. Since Lord Qiong has some goodwill with Chen Yuan, I would like to ask Lord Qiong to go in person and deliver this message."

"He won't see me, but Lord Qiong will."

Helian Shan's tone was low.

But Qiong Silou shook his head.
"Putting aside the fact that the passage to the lower realm cannot be left unattended, I myself took a risk and rushed here to discuss and devise a plan with you, Grand Preceptor, as we need to leave immediately."

"Moreover, this matter cannot be handled by me personally. His Majesty needs to send someone to deliver the decree. This is not only in accordance with the law, but also to give face to General Chen. If I may say something inappropriate, this man is compliant with soft words but not with hard words, and he values ​​those around him very much. When His Majesty issues the decree, you should try to put some effort into the people around this general."

The temple keeper of the Martial Temple spoke in a very veiled way, but in short, he wanted His Majesty to issue an imperial edict to give more benefits, such as a higher title or official rank to General Chen and his entourage, to show sufficient sincerity. This would not only be in accordance with the law and represent that the general was a court official, but also make the general feel the sincerity and ease the tense relationship between the two sides.

"That's all it can do!"

Helian Shan's eyelids twitched, and finally he took a deep breath and said.

At this point, the two important ministers of the Great Qian Dynasty reached an agreement on this matter.

Seeing Helian Shan's troubled expression, Qiong Silou knew that the other party had struggled for a long time in making this decision, sacrificing a lot. He sighed.
"The Imperial Preceptor Gao Feng, for the sake of the world, put aside personal grudges and reputation. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as him."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"I can't stay in the passageway for too long, I have to leave."

Helian Shan raised his eyelids slightly and returned the greeting, "Lord Qiong speaks frankly for the sake of the country and its people. I understand this, so I will not see you off."

"Farewell!" Qiong Silou nodded to him, and then his figure disappeared in the main hall.

Seeing that the other person had disappeared, Helian Shan returned to the main seat, slowly sat down, and a deep weariness was visible on his face as he leaned back in his chair.
"Leishan, come in!"

He summoned the Thunder God.

Soon, a crackling sound rang out in the main hall, and a bolt of silver lightning shot in, revealing a strange figure resembling the Thunder God.

"grown ups!"

"To convey a message from the Imperial Preceptor to His Majesty!"

Helian Shan seemed to have aged even more when he said those words. (End of Chapter)